Awakening
by Alucard-Nightroad89
Summary: This story is set after the events of Breath of Fire IV, there's a new baddy in town and our favourite blue haired hero is back once again. Please read and review
1. Chapter 1

It was the dead of night and Ryu was standing at the window looking out onto the city of Wyndia. Ryu hadn't been sleeping well for a while now, he kept having nightmares that he couldn't quite remember but the feeling associated with them was similar to the feeling he had before when his dragons eye showed him a glimpse of what may come. Then he realised it couldn't be that he lost his godhood after defeating Fou-Lu and when all the other dragon gods left this world. His dragon eye that he wore around his neck was no more than a jewel now so he dismissed his train of thought to old habits, but still something nagged at the back of his mind and then his attention was diverted to the sweet voice from his bed.

"Ryu, are you awake?"

"I'm over here, Sorry did I wake you Nina?"

"Well it's partially your fault."

She said it with a cheeky grin which let Ryu know that she was only playing to be serious and knew what would follow suit.

"Oh why is that love?"

"Because you're not in bed, so obviously I'm going to wake up if you're not there."

"I'm sorry love, I was just finding it hard to sleep and I didn't want to disturb you."

He said it with such sincerity that Nina got of the bed wearing her night gown and walked over to the man she loved and took him in her arms.

"You silly man, come back to bed and I'll make sure that you sleep."

Rya automatically knew this was going to happen the moment he saw cheeky grin of hers, he knew what she had in mind. So he obedientally went back to the bed holding Nina's hand; once they were in the bed Nina went instantaly to work on Ryu's neck but then something was wrong. Ryu could feel a heat building up inside of him and then he started to hear voices one at a time, he recognised the voices but he couldn't believe it was them.

"Yorae Dragon, we need your help once again."

Ryu was trying to dismiss the voices in his head asking him for assistance, he just wanted to concentrate on the one he loved; the angel that had helped him so much and now was lieing beside him kissing his neck. Once again the voices tried to ask for his help and once again he tried to dismiss but this time all the dragon gods made a unison on his mind.

"PLEASE HELP US!"

Ryu had to shout his reply of.

"FINE I'LL SPEAK WITH YOU ALL!"

Nina instantly jumped back from him and had a worried expression on her face, Ryu could clearly see that he had not just shocked her but scared her; his shouting wasn't that loud was it?

"Nina are you all right?"

Nina looked at the man she loved in complete astonishment he hadn't just shouted but also let out a roar. Again Ryu asked his question.

"Nina are you all right?"

"I'm fine Ryu, but I think I should be asking are you all right?"

Ryu looked at her confused by what she meant, so he asked her.

"Nina what do you mean? I only shouted and that wasn't your fault."

She looked at him, obviously he didn't realise that he roared so she decided to tell him that he wasn't just shouting.

"Ryu you didn't just shout, you let out a roar and if I'm correct it sounded like Kaiser's roar."

Ryu shrank back at what he had been told, it couldn't be true his draconic half had been lost after the dragon gods left. He put his hand on his dragon eye as if it were a lucky charm and then he felt himself being taken somewhere, when the feeling stopped he looked around and saw that he was in the realm of the gods; his previous home. He saw the seven dragon gods all sitting around in a semi-circle shape but there was one seat empty, P'ung Ryong walked towards Ryu and then took his hand and started to speak.

"O' brother of thine we welcome you to our court and may you take your seat."

Ryu slowly walked towards the empty seat and then noticed on the floor before the seat laid the mark that identified the Yorae dragon, so Ryu took his seat and then watched the other gods. P'ung Ryong once again stood up and spoke to the assembled gods.

"O' brothers of thine, we have all felt a great evil stirring. Except you dear brother who hath given up his immortal life but I hath found the name of this great evil and its name is Asmodeus."

This time Hae Ryong stood up to speak.

"Dear brother, surely thou are mistaken. Asmodeus is a king of demons and hath forever been banished to the depths of hell. For we here were the ones who sent him to his banishment."

"Nay brother, Asmodeus hath learnt that we no longer in habit the mortal world so he hath trying to find away to invade it and take it as his own."

Hae Ryong then looked at his brother of the winds and said.

"Then we must not let it pass, we must return and protect the mortal world."

All the dragon gods bar Ryu and P'ung Ryong shook their heads in agreement to their brother's statement.

"I know how you feel brother, but we left that world and may never return. We chose to live in this paradise, only one of us still remains in the mortal world and he is no longer one of us."

"Then what can we do?"

P'ung Ryong looked around at his brothers and then straight at Ryu.

"We can help our brother fight this evil by granting him the gifts he has lost and those we bestowed upon him once."

This time Ryu stood up and all the dragons looked to him.

"Wait a second; you want me to become an immortal once more to become a dragon? So that I might fight this demon king and save the world and what happens if I say no?"

The wind dragon looked at him and could see the concern in Ryu's eyes.

"No brother you will not be an immortal, you shall stay mortal but yes I'm asking if you shall accept the power you lost and if not then the world shall fall into darkness."

Ryu grumbled something under his breath and then looked at them and sighed.

"You've got me pinned in a corner; on the one hand I say no see what happens and possibly guarantee the worlds destruction. While on the other if I say yes I have this destructive power but I stay mortal and the world then depends on me once again."

Ryu made it look like he was thinking about the decision even though it was already made, he couldn't let everyone die; he'd be just as bad as Fou-Lu.

"Fine I'll do it, but once I've done this I want nothing to do with the gods again. Do we understand each other?"

The dragons looked around and then shook their heads one at a time in acknowledgement of Ryu's request. P'ung Ryong beckoned Ryu into the middle of the dragons and so Ryu walked into the centre, and then all the dragons started to glow and then burst of energy shot from each of them into Ryu. Ryu felt like something that had been locked away inside of him had been opened and he could feel it, he could feel his draconic half's presence within him; Ryu let out not just a scream but also a mighty roar and then the dragon gods stopped. Ryu fell to his knees and looked up at the dragons; they all stood in front of him with smiles on their faces. P'ung stepped forward and helped his brother up and spoke to him once more.

"Brother you have now the ability to change into the dragons that you once found and also your own power, we also grant unto you our own power; summon us when you need help."

Ryu looked into each of his brother's faces and smiled, and then turned around to walk away. Once again Ryu felt that sensation of being pulled and when it finally stopped he found himself in his bedroom once more with Nina shaking and screaming at him.

"Love if you keep screaming like that then I'm going to go deaf."

Nina had a moment of shook when Ryu spoke and then she slapped him across the face leaving a nice red mark on his cheek. Ryu hand instantly went to his pained cheek and then he saw Nina on the floor crying, he went to her and held her in his arms and gently whispered.

"I'm sorry for making you worry love but I was called to a family reunion."

Nina looked at him with a dumbstruck look and then she saw it Ryu's dragon eye was a little brighter and it clicked in her head.

"Oh no Ryu what's happened?"

Ryu looked at Nina and decided it best to tell her in the morning so he stood up with Nina and said.

"I think it's best if I tell you after we've had good nights sleep."

So Ryu took Nina to bed and could tell she was exhausted from her hysteria of worry and she went straight to sleep, Ryu looked up at the ceiling and thought to himself.

'Why me?'

Hope you enjoyed it please review :)


	2. Chapter 2

When Ryu awoke it was well past sunrise, he looked over to find Nina was still asleep; seeing Nina sleep always made Ryu feel calm and that there was nothing wrong in the world. Though he knew this to be in accurate when he looked at his dragon's eye around his neck and saw that it had a different glow to it, he so wished that what happened the previous night was no more than a dream. Nina started to stir in her sleep and her eyes slowly started to open, when they were fully opened Ryu and Nina were staring into each others eyes. He kissed her on the forehead and said

"Shall we get some breakfast?"

Nina sat upright and didn't say anything to Ryu; instead she walked behind the dressing panel and put on one of her dark blue silk gowns that had been left out the previous night. When she appeared from the panel Ryu's breath was literally taken away by how beautiful Nina was and Ryu was not shy in telling her.

"Nina you're absolutely beautiful."

Nina looked at herself in a mirror and smiled and gave a nod in agreement and then she turned to look at the man at the other end of the room, the look she gave him wasn't the most pleasant in the world.

"First breakfast and now the compliments, Ryu we need to talk about last night."

Ryu stood there smiling, he remembered the first time they met and how Nina was a timid little girl but now she was a strong and forward woman. Nina saw that Ryu was smiling and probably day dreaming so she decided to remind of reality, she cast a spell and Ryu was floating in mid air; still not realising he was a few feet of the ground Nina released the spell and Ryu fell on his backside.

"Ouch!"

Ryu said it while standing back up from his little fall while holding onto his backside as if it were going to fall off, he looked at Nina with hard eyes but then they turned soft and gentle. He realised that he couldn't be mad at her, it was his own fault for day dreaming. He stood up straight and walked towards his own dressing panel, there was clothing laid out for him as well to wear. Once he had put on the clothing and stepped from behind the panel Nina looked at him in awe, she walked towards him and when she reached him she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"You said something about breakfast?"

Ryu looked at her with a smile and replied

"Why yes, I do believe I did."

They both let out a joyful laugh and headed for the bedroom door, Ryu held the door open for Nina and she gave him a little curtsey to say thank you. Once outside the bedroom Nina took hold of Ryu's arm and they made their way to the breakfast room. Breakfast was quite that morning; Nina was itching for Ryu to talk about last night but he wasn't saying a thing he was just eating and looking at her. She couldn't stand it anymore she had to know.

"This is ridiculous Ryu! Tell me what happened last night please."

Ryu could hear the desperation in her voice and almost see tears in her eyes, this isn't what he wanted; he'd never want to make Nina cry. He let out a sigh and spoke.

"Ok Nina I'll tell you. I was taken to the realm of the gods by the other dragon gods, there is an ancient evil stirring in the land because they have left this world. The long and short of it is my dragon powers have been restored but I'm still mortal, I've been tasked to fight this evil."

The look on Nina's face told Ryu many things but what he could most was hurt and upset and those were things Ryu would never let Nina be.

"Nina, please talk to me."

Nina looked at Ryu with tear stricken face and Ryu's anger was growing inside of him, he swore if anyone ever made her cry he'd make them pay.

"Why Ryu? Why does it have to be you?"

He looked at the woman he loved, and knew his answer wouldn't be accepted.

"I am technically the last Nina; I am the last dragon in this world so it falls to me to save it."

Nina's tear stricken face was now lined with new tears and she didn't run from the breakfast room she was flying in the direction of the bedroom, Ryu sat in his chair and his anger was building inside until he could control it anymore. He stood up and kicked the table in front of him and it went flying across the room and hit the wall with a resounding crash. He let out a scream of pure anger and frustration and when he raised his head he had tears running down his face.

Later that night Ryu went to his bedroom only to be stopped by a locked door, Ryu tried to struggle with it a little. He knew if he wanted to he could easily break the door down but that wasn't what he wanted, he wanted Nina to let him in on her own accord.

"Nina please let me in. I just want to talk to you."

Ryu couldn't hear any noise from the room; he tried again calling to Nina and again there were no replies and no sound of movement. Ryu pressed his ear against the wooden door and then suddenly it opened and he fell to the ground, when he looked up he saw Nina in the gear she wore when they were on their last adventure.

"Why are you wearing that Nina?"

She looked at him and he could see a look of determination in her eyes, he already knew what she was going to say but he let her say it anyway.

"I'm coming with you."

Ryu knew exactly what she was going to say but it still didn't stop his instinct to try and argue with her about it. After an hour or so of arguing Nina lifted her hand to signal stop, the tension in her face dropped and she looked at Ryu with those honest eyes of hers.

"Ryu listen to me, you're going to need help and I'm offering assistance so put away the high spirit and accept the offer at hand."

He looked at her and let out a deep sigh.

"Very well Nina, I'll accept your help but I promise I'm not letting anything happen to you."

She giggled and looked at him with a smile.

"Of course you won't, who else are you going to marry?"

Ryu cheeks instantly turned red with embarrassment, he turned his head so that Nina couldn't see him and when he turned around again she was hovering right in front of him and she embraced him in her arms and gave him a passionate kiss. After Nina had stopped kissing him, he looked at her and asked her a question.

"So where do you suggest we go first?"

Nina landed on the stone floor and made an expression which made it look like she was thinking about the question, but Ryu had a sneaky suspicion she was just embellishing a little but he loved that about her so he let her continue.

"I think first we need to go to the bedroom and get you probably dressed and ready for this and then I think we should head south."

Ryu looked dumbstruck with what she said.

"South why south? What's in the south?"

Nina looked at Ryu with that cheeky smile of hers and she gave him his answer.

"Worent."


	3. Chapter 3

Nina and Ryu were standing before her father the king of Wyndia, Nina was telling her father that she and Ryu were going to be gone for a while as something needs their attention urgently. Like before her father was reluctant to let her go but Nina has special gift of getting what she wants from people, so in the end her father agreed to let his daughter go.

Nina returned to her bedroom to find Ryu putting on the custom made armour he had made for him, it was a mixture of chain mail and plate mail. After he had tightened the last buckle around his arm he saw Nina standing there watching him, he looked a little embarrassed so he turned around so she couldn't see his redness. Ryu could hear Nina walking away from him and when he turned around he saw her opening a cabinet, within it was a sword but not any ordinary sword it was the dragons' blade. Nina took up the blade and walked over to Ryu holding out the sword, Ryu took the blade from her and swung it around a few times to get a feel of it; once he was happy with it he smiled sheathed the sword and looked at Nina and went onto one knee.

"Nina I ask your forgiveness, I never meant to upset you."

Nina looked at him and smiled but she was also a little annoyed that he acted like this, she wished he'd just apologise in a normal manner.

"Very well Ryu I forgive you, but remember it's your job to make me happy."

She let out a little girl giggle bent down and kissed him on the cheek, he smiled and stood back up and bowed to her and then embraced her in a hug.

"So what resources do we need to get then?"

Nina looked at him and smiled.

"Nothing, father has taken care of everything. We'll have the necessary items and a good supply of Z's."

Ryu looked at her again smiled and gave her a long kiss, once the kiss had finished they made there way to the castle gates. Once outside the gates they'd need to take the elevator down into the town and then leave the city and head south. While walking through the town Ryu had the sensation that he was being watched, he looked through out the crowd but couldn't pin point where the sensation was coming from; so he shrugged it off as nerves.

"Ryu, are you day dreaming again?"

Ryu quickly looked at her.

"Oh no, just a feeling I have."

"Well we need to go now, so let's go."

Nina grabs Ryu's hand and started to walk a little faster, he can tell that she's excited because the speed she's walking at was increasing.

** ************

A man and a woman were walking down the streets of Wyndia, when they went down an alley between to houses and the woman said.

"She's leaving the city, well I would say that she fits the description for the princess of the angels; but who was that with her?"

The man with her looks at her and shrugs his shoulders at her while telling her his reply.

"I don't know and it doesn't matter, we must report this to Lord Asmodeus and do as he commands."

"You're right, but I must say I do hate having to take a human form on; it's so cramped. No room to let go."

Her male companion let a sly grin on his face and spoke once more.

"Oh I don't know, your human form is quite appealing. I wonder which is better your human or your true form?"

She hissed at him and then they started to walk from the alley back towards the open street again.

"Let us go and speak with him."

The male suggested and the female looked at him and nodded.

Once the two from the street had entered their home they locked the door and closed all the shutters on the windows and went into the back room. Candles were lit and there was a five point pentagram drawn on the wall with symbols all around, The man and woman sat in front of the wall and looked as if they were in prayer. They started to chant and the pentagram on the wall glowed and everything within the space became a blankness, there was but two eyes within that eternal blankness. The pair bowed down towards the wall and while the male of the pairs head was on the ground he started to speak.

"Our Lord Asmodeus, we have news to tell you."

The eyes looked down on the man and the voice supporting them was nearly deafening.

"SPEAK! Tell me what information you have."

The man started to scurry back, but then moved forward once again.

"Yes my lord, firstly that the one that the prophecy refers to as the angel princess; we believe she has left the city."

"Why are you still here then? Find her and KILL HER! Those mentioned in the prophecy are the only ones who can stop me, if one of them falls then they all fall."

The pair gave their answer in unison.

"Yes my lord."

The pentagram on the wall returned and then all the marking disappeared, the pair looked at each other with broad grins on their faces and then started to giggle. The man grabbed the woman and embraced her in a passionate kiss.

"Now my dear husband did I say you could kiss me like that?"

The man started to giggle and looked at his wife.

"No you didn't, but you know how excited I get when we're on a hunt."

"Yes my dear I know, but you must really keep that excitement under control. Now let's go our prey is getting further away and I wish to have them in my hands within the next day or two. Oh one more thing I get the man."

The male looked at his wife with a startled look and then laughed.

"Am I not good enough anymore my sweet? Very well, the girl is mine then. Let's be off then?"

The pair left the house and made their way to the city gates and took the southern most road in pursuit of their prey.

Hope you enjoy, please review :)


	4. Chapter 4

After travelling for a couple of days south, Ryu and Nina had nearly reached Mt. Ryft; they could see it standing out on the horizon. Its sheer size made most travellers look at it in awe even the pair that was heading towards it. Ryu looked at Nina and saw that she was tired, so he looked around and saw a sheltered area just off the main road. Ryu took Nina's hand and came to a complete halt; the sudden shock of stopping nearly dislocated her shoulder. She turned around to see Ryu standing there with a smile on his face.

"Why might I ask are you smiling?"

His grin towards Nina grew broader.

"Well I thought that we could stop for the night and challenge the mighty mountain tomorrow, after a good nights rest."

Nina looked at Ryu and then at the mountain and smiled, she could tell that Ryu had noticed that she was exhausted and was looking out for her.

"That's a very good thought Ryu. Have you anywhere in mind?"

Ryu looked around as if he hadn't already picked out their camp for the night; he continued to look around a little more and then saw the sheltered area and smiled. He looked at her and pointed. She gave it a quick glance and nodded in approval, they made their way towards it. On closer inspection both Ryu and Nina agreed that their shelter was almost perfect, it backed against a wall which meant that the cold chill wouldn't come in from the back; and the leaves on the trees were large enough to keep them dry. All in all it was a nice little area, so over the course of several hours Ryu went to work pitching their tent, he could hear Nina in the background at his efforts and he felt a little embarrassed and hurt but that soon passed. After a few more tries he was able to successfully pitch the tent, it was almost dark and no firewood had been collected.

"Nina I'll be back in a few moments I have to collect firewood."

She looked at him as if he had said something to hurt her.

"Why didn't you ask me to do that?"

Ryu now realised what he had and he was going to say something but the look she gave him made him flounder and so he took a deep breath and composed himself.

"I didn't want you to wander off in the woods and get lost or possibly worse."

Nina's cheeks went as red as the setting sun and she quickly spun her head so that Ryu couldn't see her face. Ryu smiled and started to walk off, Nina turned around to see his back to her as he walks into the woods; she decided to look in their packs for what they could have for a meal. After about an hour of searching for firewood Ryu returned to the camp to find Nina sitting there with something in her lap.

"What's that in your lap, love?"

She looked up at him and smiled.

"Its deer steaks that father gave us; I thought we could roast them possibly."

Ryu looked at Nina and smiled and then looked at the steaks, he thought that if he cut up the meat and some vegetables they could make a stew.

"Why don't we cut up the meat and then some vegetables and make a stew?"

Nina looked at Ryu surprised, she wasn't expecting him to suggest anything like that so she felt she had to ask something.

"Ryu, do you know how to make a stew?"

Ryu's cheeks went a little red but then nodded to indicate that he did know how to make the stew. It caught Nina by surprise as she never knew he could cook or even had a knowledge of how to.

"When did you learn to cook?"

He looked at her, obviously she hadn't found out that he'd been learning how to cook for the last few months; he decided it'd best to tell her now that some of those meals she's been having are from him.

"I've been helping out in the kitchens now and again, picking things up and then I asked to try something starting off simple and then trying different things. I've even cooked for you Nina and you father."

Nina's mouth was agape with shock, she couldn't believe it. He'd been learning something new and didn't tell her and to make it worse she had even tasted his cooking even though she didn't know what his cooking was.

"So let me see if I've got this straight, you've been helping out in the kitchens and learning to cook and you've even helped make a meal for father and myself?"

Ryu's cheeks were getting redder and hotter with embarrassment, but he nodded his head again. There was a moment of silence and Ryu was busy preparing the fire and getting the ingredients ready, when suddenly he felt arms wrap around his neck. He looked around to see Nina cuddling into him and he smiled. After their meal Ryu and sat against the trunk of a tree and Nina was cuddled into him with a blanket around her, she looked up to see Ryu concentrating their camp fire. She put her hand to his cheek and his attention turned to her, they both smiled and then they kissed.

"We best get an early night Nina, it'll be a long day climbing that mountain and we'll need our strength."

Nina eye's were half way closed while Ryu was saying and so she got closer and comfortable as she drifted off to sleep. Ryu could feel her breathing getting easier and deeper, she was asleep and so Ryu looked up at the starry sky and then again he had that feeling that something wasn't right. There was nothing to indicate there was anything wrong so Ryu dismissed it and then started to drift off to sleep.

The next morning Ryu awoke to see Nina clearing away the camp, he stood up and stretched out his body and went over to the unused tent and starting to take it apart; he found it was easier to dismantle it than to build it. He looked over his shoulders to see Nina making them a breakfast of fruits; once he had finished dismantling the tent and put it away he went to where Nina was sitting to have their breakfast.

"Once we've finished breakfast I'd say we better start on the mountain. It'll take us a couple of days to cross it, which is of course if it's quiet otherwise we could be looking at longer."

Nina nodded in agreement, though the latest reports her father had told her was that the mountain had been fairly quite of monsters recently; so she was optimistic on the amount of time needed to cross the mountain. She looked over and saw Ryu standing and staring at the mountain, she could tell that all his concentration was on the mountain. At this point the cheeky side to Nina's personality came to the surface, she gently flapped her wings and was lifted into the air she silently made her way towards Ryu and when she was close enough to startle him he said.

"There's something troubling me about that mountain Nina."

She let out a sigh as she realised that Ryu was fully aware of her plan, she gently landed on the ground beside him and looked at the mountain. She looked at the mountain but she couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, she then looked at Ryu to see that he was frowning which he rarely did.

"Dear is something bothering you?"

"I'm nor sure dear, when we left Wyndia I had this feeling that we're being watched and whoever was watching us didn't wish us kindness and now I have that same feeling but it's coming from the mountain."

"Do you think there is someone up there waiting for us?"

"I'm not sure, it could be just a feeling but I'd like us to be cautious going up the mountain."

"It's doesn't hurt to be cautious dear."

After everything was packed away they made there way towards the mountain, the walk to the mountain was an easy one. Once they were at the bottom of the mountain they could see the trail up the mountain could be seen until it reached a plateau, Ryu thought if they could reach it by nightfall they could make camp there. Ryu pointed out the plateau to Nina and explained his idea to her; she agreed that would be a sensible place to camp if they can reach it by nightfall. It was quiet while they were travelling up the mountain, it seemed that the report Nina's father had received was true. She could tell when she looked at Ryu that something was still making him nervous, but she decided against asking him about it; instead se moved closer to him and took his arm in hers. Ryu looked down at her and smiled and she could feel that the tension in his muscles was starting to relax.

They continued up the trail for most of the day and Ryu's uneasiness had relaxed only a little thanks to Nina taking his arm, it was a whizzing sound that made him draw his sword. The whizzing stopped and was replaced by a panging sound against his sword; he looked to the ground and saw a dagger embedded in the ground. He looked around trying to find where the dagger had come from but he couldn't see anyone around them, what finally caught his attention was a set of evil laughs that sent chills up his spine. They both looked up and saw standing on a set of peaks two shadows, the pair couldn't make out much details from the shadows but from what they could tell one of them was a man and the other a woman. The female looked to her partner and said.

"My, I must say that I'm impressed. Her little body guard was able to deflect my dagger. Now I must say that is surprising dear husband."

The male shadow looked to his companion and smiled while giving her his reply.

"Your skills must be getting rusty in your old age dear, but you can work on that later; we have a job to do so let do it."

Ryu was standing in front of Nina with his sword ready to defend her; he looks over his shoulder to see that she has her wand in her hand and ready to fight.

"Nina, I want you to place a barrier around yourself and no matter what do not remove it."

She slowly nodded and started the incantation for the barrier, once the barrier was finished Ryu walked forward slowly and looked at the shadowy pair to see that they had also drawn weapons. From what he could tell the man had a pair of pistols and the female had a pair of long bladed daggers.

"Why have you attacked us?"

The pair started to laugh at the question they had been asked, Ryu could see that their positions were starting to shift which indicated to him that they were getting ready to strike. The male of the shadowy pair then gave Ryu a reply.

"It's not beneficial to our lord and master while the young lady lives, so we have been charged to take her life. So why don't you make it easy for yourself and us and hand her over."

Ryu smiled and then in a casual tone gave his reply.

"I'm sorry I can't do that, but all I can say to you two is either leave or die."

The pair started to laugh even louder and harder, the laughing sent a chill up Ryu's spine; he could tell that there was something different about these two but he couldn't figure out what it was.

"Remember our deal now dearest, the girl is mine and you get him."

When Ryu heard this he realised that they were the source of his uneasiness and that they had been watching them since Wyndia and he'd get the answers that he wanted. Suddenly the shadows leapt off the peaks and were falling towards him and just before they were about to hit the ground he jumped back from them, after the dust cloud had settled he saw that pair more clearly and how they had no injuries from the fall. The male of the pair looked at Ryu and Nina and then at his female partner and had a large grin on his face, he took his partner in his arms and passionately kissed her. Once the kissing pair had finished the female looked towards Ryu and licked her lips and said.

"I can't wait to see how he tastes, now shall we get started dear husband?"

"Yes I think we shall. Enjoy dear."

The pair poised themselves into positions which indicated to Ryu that they were ready to strike now; he decided before the fighting starts that he would ask them one last question.

"Before we start this may I ask your names?"

The pair was surprised by the question that they had just been asked; they looked at each other shrugged in agreement and turned to him to answer his question.

"I am Turtha and this is my husband Othu and we're agents of Lord Asmodeus, sent to do his bidding and his bidding for us is to kill that young lady. Now would you care to tell us your name stranger before we start?"

Ryu nodded to the pair and then told them his name.

"My name is Ryu and I shall protect princess Nina."

"Well Ryu it has been a pleasure to meet you but Turtha and I must now kill you both now."

Ryu relaxed the muscles in his body to prepare for the battle that's about to begin, he gripped the hilt of sword a little tightly and then stood infront of Nina and watched the pair to see what moves they'd make.

Hope you enjoyed the new chapter, sorry took so long to post the new chapter. Happy to hear any new ideas please review :D


	5. Chapter 5

[A/N: Hey guys sorry it has taken me so long to get the chapter up, the last year has been so hectic. I shall try and update more often :D hope you enjoy]

Turtha grinned as she saw her prey readying himself for an attack, now she would test how good young Ryu's skills with a blade were. She started to run towards him and with every step she took her speed was increasing until she became a blur; she was so close now that she struck at him.

Ryu didn't expect to meet an opponent with such incredible speed, the one called Turtha started to run at him which was what he was expecting but then he noticed her speed was continuously increasing until she was a blur. It was only that same feeling of uneasiness that helped him stop the dagger striking him. They looked at each other; he could see that she was shocked at first and then a broader grin cam across her face.

"I must admit I'm surprised you were able to block my attack at that speed."

"I wasn't expecting you to move with such speed, so we've both done something we weren't expecting."

Turtha just started to laugh once more as she disappeared, beads of sweat started to trickle down his face. A sharp pain came from his arm and he saw a gash and blood trickling down his arm. Then in another instant he had several more cuts over is body, she was moving faster now he couldn't tell which direction she was attacking from until she had struck him with her daggers. She finally stopped and he could see her, but his vision started to get blurry; he looked to the ground and saw there was a pool of blood around him. So that was her plan to kill him, make him loose enough blood so he couldn't do anything; he looked back and saw not just a look of worry on Nina's face but also tears. That was it for Ryu, this woman had made his love cry; he would make her pay for that.

"A normal human couldn't move at those sorts of speeds, so Turtha I ask you what are you and your husband."

They both laughed at the question and surprisingly it was Othu who stepped forward to answer the question.

"It took you long enough to ask boy. We are not of this world; we come from a place that you humans call Hell. So your kind would call us demons. Now it's time for my dear wife to kill you."

Once again in a single instant she was gone and then he felt it, the cold steel through his chest. He looked down to see her dagger was in the dead centre of his chest and he looked up to see a smiling Turtha licking her lips, she pulled the blade out which was followed by a shower of blood. Turtha walked away laughing and he could see her licking her blades clean from the blood that covered them, he fell to the ground and he saw Nina on the ground crying as if the most important thing to her had been taken away. His vision started to darken, all he could hear in the background was the pair's sinister laughter and Nina screaming his name; and then he heard Turtha say something to Nina.

"Don't worry little girl my dear husband is going to let you join your precious Ryu because now it's your turn."

The laughter started again and even his hearing was fading now, he couldn't believe it he had failed in protecting Nina and now she was going to die and it was his fault.

"NO! I WONT DIE HERE! I WON'T LET THEM HURT NINA!"

Turtha and Othu both stopped laughing as a column of light surrounded Ryu and saw that he was standing up. They were both wide eyed as they could feel a large of power flowing from him.

"How is this possible?"

Everyone heard as Ryu let out a ground shaking scream and when the light vanished, standing there was he was in his half dragon form. Turtha and Othu both stepped back at what they saw.

"This isn't possible! All the dragons were supposed to have left this world! Turtha we must remove our human forms so that we can release more power and defeat him."

Turtha nodded in agreement, she lifted one of her daggers and made a small incision down her body from the top of her head down to her waist. She threw her daggers into the ground before her and grabbed the skin on each side of her forehead and pulled it apart, the sight made Nina close her eyes and look the other way. Othu wasn't as neat as his wife; he just started to tear away the very skin off him until his true form was visible.

Their appearance wasn't what Nina was expecting, she had always thought a demon was some sort of disfigured creature in some sense of the word, but these two weren't disfigured. Their appearance was more reptilian than man; they had emerald green scales over their body, burning yellow eyes that looked like they could see into ones soul. Their smiling also showed a set of white canine teeth which looked like they could tear flesh from bone. Nina's analysis of the two was interrupted when Turtha started to laugh.

"Now that we've released our true forms there is no hope for either of you."

The speed at which Turtha moved at was almost impossible for Nina to keep track of, all that really distinguishable was a green glimmer weaving its way towards Ryu. Yet Ryu didn't move at all from the approaching enemy, Turtha stopped her movements to look at Ryu and grinned.

"What's wrong? Is the little dragon so scared that he can not even move?"

She looked back at her mate who had a sudden look of fear on his face, when she turned around Ryu was standing inches in front of her and before she could react Ryu had sent her flying backwards and crashed into the mountain with one punch. Othu looked back at the body of his mate, bloody and broken. He was sure that she was dead, his anger started to boil; he looked at Ryu and then towards Nina and a wicked grin touched his scaly face.

"Now Ryu, I am going to make you experience this new pain I feel."

He dashed towards Nina's barrier and as he was about to strike it so that it would break his arm stopped. There standing to his side was Ryu holding his arm, Othu didn't know what to do but instinct took over and he tried to claw at his captor. Ryu moved out of the way of his enemies hit, then suddenly his hand was through Othu's chest and when he removed his arm it had left a gaping hole. Othu looked to his chest and then to Ryu, a smirk of relief came upon his face.

"I may not have been able to seek revenge for my wife, but at least I can now join her."

He fell back onto the ground and there was no movement, no sound at all. Nina had removed her barrier and started to walk towards Ryu who had changed back now into his human form though he was on his knees. He was sweating profusely and breathing hard, Nina was on her knees with him holding him and also crying that he was alright.

"I had forgotten how much effort was needed in my other form; I guess I best get training so I'm not like this next time."

Nina's head suddenly shot upright at the statement, it was something she hadn't expected to hear.

"What do you mean next time?"

Ryu looked to her, she obviously hadn't thought about what was said.

"You heard them Nina, they were demons and they were following orders to have you killed and they've failed. That says to me that there will be another attempt."

It suddenly dawned on Nina what he was saying, this wasn't a one off attempt; someone or something wanted her dead. She looked to Ryu once again, and saw that he smiled.

"Don't worry my love; as long as I am here then I will never let anyone hurt you. Though I think we should make haste to worren now."

As Ryu stood to take a few steps, his legs gave way it did not just shock Nina but him as well. Had it been that long since he knew what it was like to change to his other form that his body had become "lazy"?

"Ryu let us make camp here till you gain your strength."

He wasn't happy with the idea but could do little to argue about it, as Nina had set up the camp which made Ryu less happy as he seemed not to be able to do anything it grinded on him. Nina had prepared a meal for them and they ate in silence, not wishing to discuss the events of the day. He couldn't stand it anymore and tried any subject to break the silence.

"We've been put back a day at least to get to worren."

Nina looked to him and attempted a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry; we can make up time somewhere."

Ryu couldn't stand the tension anymore; he wanted to know what was wrong.

"Nina, what is wrong?"

She tried to feign innocence but knew that at this time that it wasn't going to work.

"It has just been a surprising day that is all; I thought you were going to die. Then you use your dragon powers which don't seem to have diminished at all.

Then something clicked in Ryu's head, why he felt so drained.

"Nina you're a genius"

She was confused by this sudden outburst and looked to him for answer.

"I've been given my powers in a mortal body, when I had them before I also had my immortality."

"We must reach worren soon; Cray and I are going to have to train."

Ryu had a new grin on his face, a grin Nina all to well and then she herself seemed to brighten up.

"Shall we go to sleep then my love?"

Ryu looked to her and smiled.

"I think that's a very good idea."

They entered the tent and got into their sleeping bags and Ryu embraced Nina in a hug.

"Goodnight my love."

Though from Nina's breathing he could tell she was already asleep and so he drifted off to the world of dreams as well.

[A/N: There you have it, chapter 5. please review if you like it, even if you don't like it. Suggestions are welcome. Also do you think i should continue with the story? All answers shall receive cookies :D]


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